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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · ball · hand · rock · spring · present · cabinet · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. present — the time now
  3. rock — music
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. spring — of water
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. hand — help
  11. bass — low music
  12. spring — a coil
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spring — the season
  16. degree — from a university
  17. present — a gift
  18. bass — the fish
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. ball — a great time
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. present — there
  24. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com